A Brief History of Tea

Description

The dark history that brought us a nice cup of tea
Behind the wholesome image of the world’s most popular drink lies a strangely murky and often violent past. When tea began to be imported into the West from China in the seventeenth century, its high price and heavy taxes made it an immediate target for smuggling and dispute at every level, culminating in international incidents like the notorious Boston Tea Party. In China itself the British financed their tea dealings by the ruthless imposition of the opium trade. Intrepid British tea planters soon began flocking to Africa, India and Ceylon, setting up huge plantations. Workers could be bought and sold like slaves.
Roy Moxham begins with his own sojourn in Africa, managing 500 acres of tea and a thousand-strong workforce. His experiences inform the book and lead him to investigate the early history of tea – his research often reflects little credit on the British Empire, while revealing a fascinating world story.

‘Absorbing – and sometimes shocking.’ -Christopher Ondaatje, Literary Review
‘A masterful historical study.’ -Good Book Guide